By November 1st, a mere 63 days from now, Rod Thorn will have to make the first in a series of decisions on the young core of his team. The day after Halloween is the deadline for extension of players with three years in the league, still on their first-round rookie contracts. Jason Smith, Spencer Hawes and Thaddeus Young all meet the criteria.

I'll be the first to admit that I have strong feelings about certain members of this team. Mainly, guys who hover on the periphery of the "young core." In the great tradition of Depressed Fan, I hope I'll be proven wrong about one or two. After the jump, let's take a shot at guessing which one(s) will exceed expectations.

If you're in the mood for positive vibes regarding our beloved Sixers, this is most definitely not the post for you. After the jump I'm going to share a sinking feeling I've had in the pit of my stomach for the past couple of weeks.

In what was little more than a formality, the Sixers exercised their 4th-year options on Thad Young and Jason Smith, and their 3rd-year option on Marreese Speights today. Effectively, locking them down for next season. This news isn't really news, there was never a doubt concerning Thad and Speights, probably not for Smith either. This does raise a question about what happens next summer, though. We'll dive into it after the jump.(Also, info on a fantasy hoops league)

With game one of the preseason in the books, we have our first glimpse into Eddie Jordan's substitution patterns. Obviously things will change, but coming out of camp and into the preseason opener, it appears as if Jason Smith is above Marreese Speights on the depth chart.

Today's player in the Predicting 2010 Series is none other than Jason Smith. The man the Sixers traded up to get in the 2007 draft, who saw his 2008-2009 season end before it began is back and apparently preparing to play a big role with the team this season. Stats, projections and analysis after the jump.

This news and link stems from the comments on a previous post. Jason Smith has torn his ACL and could be done for the year. Disappointing news for a guy who looked like he was set up to contribute in...

The Sixers showed a lot of backbone and heart tonight when they came back from a 15-0 start to tie the game up at 44 in the second quarter. Unfortunately, that's where the good news ends from this one. The...

Is "dominate" a strong enough verb to encapsulate the 112-69 thrashing the Sixers doled out to the Bucks tonight? Probably not, but let's run with it.In a surprise move, Mo Cheeks started Jason Smith at the PF, and it paid...

ESPN.com has a new feature they're touting today in which David Thorpe from Scouts Inc. rates the rookies in the NBA and gives a glimpse into his thoughts on their futures and development so far. The Sixers' rooks, Jason Smith...

If you've been trolling the mainstream media sites, by now you realize the Sixers are by far the worst team in the league. Hollinger pegs them at 21 wins. Twenty-one. Every expert on ESPN has them finishing last in the...